1. Field of the Invention
Systems for, and methods of, selecting a video map corresponding to a particular release of a video.
2. Description of the Related Art
DVD-Videos released by the major motion picture studios conventionally store a full length motion picture encoded using the H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 video technologies. DVDs generally provide scene selection and subtitles and/or closed captioning in a plurality of languages. Among other features, some DVDs include multiple camera angles for a scene, and the capability to play one of a plurality of different content versions (e.g. a director's cut or unrated version and an “R” rated versions). DVD capable devices, such as a DVD player, or a computer DVD drive with a software DVD player, require a DVD drive and a MPEG decoder. Such DVD devices provide for, among other features, fast-forward, fast-rewind, skip-forward or skip-backwards by chapters, turn on/off subtitles, subtitle and audio language selection, camera angle selection, and menu navigation to select, for example, multiple content versions.
While DVDs provide many capabilities and functions exceeding those provided by, for example, conventional linear playback formats, DVD devices do not fully realize the potential of random access video playback capabilities that are synergistically integrated with an externally provided map of a DVD video. Such a map of a DVD video may, for example, identify non-sequential video segments of the DVD video suitable for a 60 minute condensed presentation of the video. In such instances the definition of the beginning and ending video frames of the video segments must be responsive to artistic and seamlessness objective and not be constrained by technical deficiencies. At 29.97 video frames per second, a few video frames with its associated audio are often critical to the editor attempting to define the segments of a presentation from within a DVD video. An editor's artistic and seamlessness objectives require DVD devices capable of discreet begin video frame play and seamless play of non-sequential segment from within the digitally encoded video.
A release of a video, whether on DVD or other format, may share the same video content of a particular video, with other releases of the same video, but may differ with respect to audio content, audio tracks, menu structure, features, supplemental content, compression, or seek points. Releases of a video are distinguished from versions of a video. Different versions of a video comprise significant different video content, such as a director's cut versus the theatrical release of a video, are considered different versions of a video and not different releases of the video. A video map corresponding to a specific release of video may not be frame accurate when applied to a different release of the same video.